1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical apparatus to be used in a lens apparatus for television image-taking, a television lens equipped with camera apparatus that is connected to a lens apparatus, etc.
2. Description of Related Art
An image-taking (camera) apparatus used for television image-taking comprises a main TV camera body and a TV lens, and is used by mounting the TV lens onto the TV camera. Of these components, the TV lens is largely divided into a main lens body part and a drive unit, and the main lens body part has an image-taking optical system and manual rings for manual operation of the image-taking optical system. The drive unit has, housed in the interior thereof, motors, control boards, and a CPU for electromotive drive of the manual rings and is provided on the external surface with various switches and operating members for instructing electromotive control.
With regard to the TV lens, though manual zooming and iris operations were carried out in the majority of cases of image-taking in the past, image-taking using electromotive servo has come to be carried out frequently recently, and various functions have been added to the drive unit as well. These include for example, a preset function, with which once an arbitrary zoom position is stored, a motor is driven to the stored zoom position by the pressing of a switch, and a function, by which a user can freely assign this preset function to a switch at a position of choice among the plurality of switches provided on the drive unit.
As a means of setting such various functions, a DIP switch is provided inside the drive unit and a cameraperson removes a rubber cap provided on the external surface of the drive unit and sets the DIP switch according to the image-taking circumstances. Such functions that can be set thus enable the scope of image-taking by a cameraperson to be widened and optimal camera work to be realized in accordance with various image-taking circumstances.
However, with the conventional TV lens, since the function setting part for the lens is provided inside the drive unit, the setting circumstances of the functions cannot be viewed at a glance, and there is also the troublesomeness of operation of having to remove the rubber cap each time to check the setting state. The act of looking into a small DIP switch provided inside the drive unit is poor in terms of visual recognizability, instant check of the setting state is difficult, and the act of switching the small DIP switch of the operating part with a fingertip is also difficult in terms of operation. The act of operating a DIP switch while checking it is extremely difficult, especially under an environment of inadequate light. Also, in an usage environment unique to TV lenses wherein a single image-taking equipment is shared by a plurality of camerapersons, it is extremely important that it be possible to readily and instantly check the setting circumstances of the cameraperson using the equipment priorly, and such a need could not be answered readily by the conventional TV lens. The enabling of instant check of the setting circumstances of TV lenses, which will become even more complex in the future, and the provision of a setting means which is even better in operability are issues for TV lenses.